Before 'Yellowstone' Fame: Missoula's Brief Moment in 2018 Movie

My, how times have changed.

I felt like I traveled back in time (like way back) when I watched a movie from 2018 that I'd never seen before and heard a reference to Missoula, Montana.

It also seemed like a "pre-pandemic" style mention. It was so innocuous. I'm guessing that if the movie had been made in 2021 or 2022 the script wouldn't have mentioned Missoula.

Have you ever seen A Simple Favor?

It stars Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively and it's a thriller. I won't give anything away if you haven't seen the movie but one key aspect of the plot is that Anna Kendrick's character is a mommy-vlogger. That's evidence right there that this is a pre-pandemic movie because you know if this was made today, she'd be an influencer on TikTok.

Anna Kendrick's character's audience is arguably small at this point in the movie and in one of her vlogs, she thanks a mom "in Missoula Montana" for sharing a recipe. In another take, she thanks someone in Ames, Iowa.

I still think it's fun when Missoula gets mentioned in pop culture but this tiny mention felt strange after how much Missoula has changed. How much more "on the map" Missoula is.

Interestingly, the TV show 'Yellowstone' premiered the same year as this movie. 'Yellowstone' premiered in June of 2018 while this movie came out in September of 2018, so the "Yellowstone Effect" hadn't hit Montana yet.

It felt like something from a time capsule--seeing what was meant to be a reference to a random place that now, isn't so random anymore.